Following a coup on July 26, the United States applauded efforts by West African nations on Tuesday to restore constitutional order in Niger, stating that diplomacy was preferable to military action.

The chiefs of state from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are poised to meet on Thursday to discuss their standoff with the Niger junta, which has ignored a deadline of August 6 to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

Military intervention will be a possibility to consider.

“There’s no doubt that diplomacy is the best way to resolve this situation,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday on French radio station RFI.

Under Bazoum’s leadership, Niger was somewhat successful in managing an Islamist insurgency that devastated the Sahel area, and it became a key ally for the West after two of its neighbours abandoned former colonial power France in favour of Russia.

Niger is also the world’s seventh-largest producer of uranium, the most extensively used nuclear fuel, which adds to its strategic significance.

Blinken stated that the US was supporting ECOWAS’ attempts to restore constitutional order. He refused to speculate on the future of the approximately 1,100 US forces stationed in Niger, where French, German, and Italian troops are also stationed.

ECOWAS defence chiefs decided on a possible military response plan on Friday, which heads of state are scheduled to consider during their summit in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

A fresh expedition to Niamey looked to be in the works, with an African Union (AU) spokesperson claiming Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the AU’s High Representative for Silencing the Guns, would participate.